by Alejandro Zuniga Sacks, USA TODAY Sports

by Alejandro Zuniga Sacks, USA TODAY Sports

On Sunday against the Toronto Blue Jays, the Baltimore Orioles' Chris Davis made history by hitting his 37th home run the day before the All-Star break. The two-run shot off Josh Johnson tied the American League record for homers before the midseason mark, matching Reggie Jackson's record set in 1969.

The only player to hit more home runs before the All-Star break was Barry Bonds with 39 in 2001.

Davis has broken out of a recent 0-for-17 slump in the biggest way possible. Sunday's home run was his fourth consecutive game with a blast and increased his RBI tally to 93, only two behind the Detroit Tigers' Miguel Cabrera.

The Orioles first baseman has enjoyed a breakout season at the plate, leading the majors in home runs, slugging percentage (.717) and ranking in the top five of most batting categories. The fans rewarded his success by submitting the most votes in his favor to send him to the All-Star Game. He will also participate in the Home Run Derby on Monday.

Though Jackson followed up his historic 37 home runs before the All-Star break with just 10 after, Davis hasn't shown any signs of slowing down. Earlier in the day, he joined Cabrera as the only players in big league history to record 90 RBI and 30 homers before the halfway point.

Davis' historic season wasn't entirely unprecedented. He hit .270 with 33 home runs last year, and teammates and managers have raved about his power for years. In 2007, his manager at Single-A Bakersfield gave him the following evaluation, naming him the top prospect on a team that included several future major leaguers: "Bakersfield Rankings, No. 1: Chris Davis. Clutch hitter, late-inning hitter, power to all fields, has leadership qualities. Improved defensively, will continue to get better."